Biography Growing up among the mountains and plains of the western United States, I had a chance to be exposed to diverse people with different ideals and ways of thinking. I currently reside the Albuquerque, NM area. Life has always been an adventure. While growing up music lessons were not an option for me until I started college. The benefit of growing up without advantages is that it forces you to be resourceful and make the most of limited opportunities. As an artist I understand struggles that many people face and hope to be a voice for them. My mother was also a tremendous source for instilling creativity in me. She always taught me the value of education. I embraced every opportunity for education, and I especially valued my time studying at the University. I chose to go into the arts because it has always been a deep part of me. For as long as I can remember I would play and compose music every time I could find a piano at a school or a church. By the time I was eighteen, beginning college, I had composed several hours of music that I would keep on cassettes. I am driven to create music because there is something I have to say that I cannot put into words. It is essentially the only thing any artist can say: What life is to me and how life has affected me.

I became drawn to the harp because it is a very open, direct instrument. You create sound by having your fingers interact directly with the strings which are set in the open air. There is a broad pallet of timbres on harp and rich harmonic potential. I play pedal harp and double strung harp which have two completely different harmonic capabilities.  I have a lot of plans that I am very excited about, including a harp method for adult beginners that I have just completed, a CD project of original harp music, a concerto concert, a CD of harp music by breathing composers, and a children’s harp method I am working on. Life’s adventure continues.

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Education

Harp lessons with Anne Eisefeller September 2008 - present

Harp lessons with Kathy Kienzle August 2005 - December 2007

Composition lessons from Marta Ptaszynska in Chicago. March 2005 - April 2005

Voice lessons with Thomas Booth June 2004 - May 2005

Masters of Music in Harp from Northern Illinois University, May 2004. GPA 4.0
Harp performance studies with Liz Cifani, principal harpist for the Chicago Lyric Opera
Harp pedagogy and special education studies with Ron Price, founder of Healing Harps

Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition with a minor emphasis in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, May, 2002. GPA 3.96
Composition studies with Randall Snyder
Theory studies with Joseph Kraus
Piano studies with Nicole Narboni
Piano Pedagogy studies with Joan Reist, past president of Music Teachers National Association
Harp studies with Mary Bircher, principal harpist for the Omaha Symphony
Dissertation: Bitterroot Soundscape for harp and chamber ensemble: score and analysis.

Composition master class participation
Robert Sirota, UNL, Spring 2002
John Corigliano, UNL, Spring 2001
Peter Schikele, UNL, Spring 1999
Lukas Foss, UNL Spring 1995
Libby Larsen, UNL, Spring 1994
John Harbison, UNL, Spring 1993

Masters of Music in Composition from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
August, 1995. GPA 3.7
Composition studies with Randall Snyder and Tyler White.

Bachelor of Arts in Music from Union College in Lincoln Nebraska, August, 1993 with highest honors. GPA 3.95 (UNL GPA 4.0)
Composition studies taken at UNL with Robert Beadell and Randall Snyder.
Piano studies with Ryan Wells
Voice studies with Dan Lynn

Associate of Science in Art from Union College in Lincoln Nebraska, December 1996 with honors. GPA 3.95
Art studies with James D. McClelland.

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Work Experience

Harp, Piano, and Composition Instructor at the New Mexico School of Music, September 2008 - present.

Harpist for the Arts-in-Medicine program at the University of New Mexico, September 2008 - present.

Harp and Workshop Instructor at Apple Mountain Music in Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 2008 - present.

Online Music Instructor for Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, WY. March 2008 - present
Duties include teaching music fundamentals, world music, and two semesters on music history online.

Harp Instructor at the Saint Francis Music Center in Little Falls, MN, December, 2007 - July, 2008.

Harp Instructor at Hobgoblin Music, August 2007 - July, 2008

Harp, Piano and Composition Instructor at East Metro Music Academy April 2006 - May 2007
Duties included teaching private lessons to students with various backgrounds including those with the following special needs: Cerebral Palsy, high functioning autism, hearing and visual impairments, mental retardation, arthritis, and brain cancer survivor. In addition to this duties included organizing and providing leadership for their Budding Composers program which included a workshop and recital, and conducting harp camps to recruit students.

Adjunct Instructor of Harp at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois. September 2004 – May 2005.

Adjunct Instructor of Harp and Piano at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. August 2002 - May 2005.

Music Contractor for Magic Lantern, Inc. in Monmouth, Illinois. Duties include composing background music for the following computer games using Sonar 3.1 and Cool Edit. April 2003 – present
3D Chess published by eGames
Checkers published by Lantern Learning.
Frontrunner published by Lantern Learning
Gameroom Excitement published by eGames
Ultimate Minigolf Designer pub. By eGames
Riverboat Slots published by eGames
Fitness Tycoon published by eGames

Workshop Instructor for Great Lakes Harpers Conference in October, 2004 in DeKalb, Illinois. Taught workshops in Intuitive Composing and Classics for Beginners.

Assistant Professor of Music at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. Duties included teaching the following courses: a survey of world music, music of Asia, Medieval and Renaissance music, Baroque music, Classical and Romantic music, modern music, music technology, ear training, orchestration, composition, harp, and piano pedagogy. August 2000 - May 2002.

Adjunct Instructor of Piano at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. Duties included teaching individual piano lessons. August 1998 - May 2002

Graduate Teaching Assistant in composition, theory, and jazz history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Music. Duties included teaching composition and ear training lessons, and assisting in the jazz history course. August 1998 - May 1999 and August 1993 - August 1995.

Mentor for Gifted Students in Composition for the Lincoln Public School System from May 1995 - May 1998.

Instructor of Music Appreciation at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Nebraska. Duties included teaching an overview of the history of Western European classical music, American popular music, jazz, and a sampling of the music of Africa, Japan, and India. January 1996–December 1997.

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"To despise vulnerability is cowardice"